How Many Countries Are There in the World?

Why do you sometimes see 193 countries?

Because there are currently 193 United Nations Member States. A UN Member State is a country that belongs to the United Nations and has a seat in the General Assembly. The UN says its membership has grown from 51 founding members in 1945 to the current 193.

So when somebody says “there are 193 countries in the UN”, they are talking specifically about UN membership. That is not necessarily the same thing as saying there are only 193 countries or states in the world.

Where does 195 come from?

The commonly used figure of 195 adds the two UN non-member observer States to the 193 members: the Holy See and the State of Palestine. The UN identifies both as non-member States with observer status.

That gives the familiar total of 195. A United Nations document discussing the 195 countries generally recognised by the international community describes the figure in exactly these terms: 193 UN Member States plus the Holy See and the State of Palestine.

What about Kosovo?

This is where the simple number becomes more complicated. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and is recognised as independent by many countries, but it is not a United Nations Member State.

Because recognition of Kosovo is not universal, different organisations and websites handle it differently. Some country lists include Kosovo as a country; others keep it separate from their main list of universally or widely recognised states.

For FlagAtlas, this is one reason we distinguish between our main country list and the wider world of territories, regions and places with disputed or special political status.

What about Taiwan?

Taiwan is another example where political status and everyday geography don't fit neatly into a single number. Taiwan operates with its own government, institutions and currency, but its international diplomatic and UN status is complicated.

The important point for a geography website is to explain the distinction rather than pretend that one number settles every question. Country-counting is partly about definitions, recognition and the organisation whose list you are using.

Are territories countries?

Not necessarily. The world contains many territories and dependencies that have their own flags, governments or strong local identities without being sovereign independent states.

Examples include Réunion, Martinique, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. They are fascinating places with flags and distinct identities, and FlagAtlas gives them their own territory and region pages. But they should not simply be added to the 195-country total as if they were all independent UN member states.

So which number should you use?

If someone asks for the number of UN Member States, the answer is 193. If they are using the commonly cited list of 195 countries that combines the 193 UN members with the Holy See and State of Palestine, the answer is 195.

Neither number should be treated as a magic answer to every possible definition of “country”. The important thing is to explain what the number represents.

Why FlagAtlas uses 195

FlagAtlas uses 195 as its main country set because it provides a clear, familiar starting point for learning about the world's countries: the 193 UN Member States plus the two UN non-member observer States.

We then treat territories and regions separately. That lets visitors explore places such as Greenland, Martinique and Réunion without confusing territories with the main list of sovereign states.

Explore the world's flags

Now that we've established what FlagAtlas means by “195 countries”, you can explore them individually through the Flag Explorer. You can also test your knowledge with the Flag Quiz or print flags from the Flag Colouring Pages.

Sources: United Nations, About the United Nations; United Nations, Non-Member-States; United Nations Digital Library, document describing the 195 countries as 193 UN Member States plus the Holy See and State of Palestine.